The average LED lighting warranty is between 3-5 years
The term of a warranty does not necessarily reflect on the quality of the fixture. Instead, it typically reflects the period of time where a manufacturing defect is most likely to show up, and is a grace period where the manufacturer recognizes their responsibility to repair or replace the product (keep in mind labor costs are not covered by most LED light warranties.)
A high-quality manufacturer will want to ensure they learn about any defects so they can correct the issue. (If you’re wondering how committed we are to perfecting our products, most Litetronics products come with double the standard five-year warranty. If something goes wrong in Year 9, we want to hear about it and make it right.)
Many longer LED warranties include a limit on the hours of use
We talked about normal use above in rated life. Warranties have a similar concept. The term of the warranty is based on the expectation that the fixture won’t be on 24/7 year-round from the moment it is installed. Longer warranties include a limit on hours of use, either by total usage or annual usage.
Most manufacturers honor their warranty in years, not ARL
LEDs don’t come with built in alarms that ding when the rated hours are up. Warranties run from purchase date. In fact, manufacturers will usually honor the date of the warranty, regardless of the hours the bulb was in use.
Subpar electronic drivers are usually the cause of lighting failure in the first 2-3 years
The LED driver that provides electric current to the LED system is similar to a ballast for a fluorescent or HID. You’ll want to be sure the driver has a higher output power than your LEDs. If the output is equivalent to the LED power requirements, it’s running at full power and that can shorten the driver’s life span.
